BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - For you campers out there in rec.boat land

Mr. Luddite

On 10/2/2014 11:45 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 02 Oct 2014 11:27:55 -0400, Poco Loco
wrote:

On Wed, 01 Oct 2014 21:33:48 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Wed, 01 Oct 2014 08:38:19 -0400, Poco Loco
wrote:

I'd have to buy a generator if we took the trip. I understand, from
others who've done it, that spending the night by the side of the road
is pretty common. Although, now that I've got most of my bulbs
replaced with LED's (Thanks, Harold!) the drain on the batteries is
much lesss.

===

LEDs are great power savers but I think you'd want a generator for
emergency battery charging and heat if nothing else. Do you use 12
volt refrigeration?

No, refrigerator is either 120v or gas. Doesn't use much gas though. I
know I'd need a generator - will put that Honda on my wish list. Keep
hoping Luddite's going to decide he doesn't need his, but he's in love
with it. Must be a good one.

I have one of those 120/propane fridges in the shed. I cranked it up
after Charlie but by the time it got cold, the power was back on.
I plugged it in before Wilma to get it going but our power was not out
any significant length of time. I am not even sure it went out.

The little Honda inverter generators are really nice. Compared to the
3300 RPM fixed speed alternator they are very fuel efficient on a
partial load since they can vary the engine speed.

We weren't so lucky with Wilma. Power was out for over a week.
Wilma is the reason I bought the Honda eu2000i and it ran 24/7 for about
9 days, stopped only to refuel once in the morning and once at night.

I also had a 12,000 watt contractor generator wired into the power panel
but quickly realized I'd run out of gas if the power was out for an
extended time (which it was). I'd fire it up once a day for an hour to
heat the water tank and run the well pump so I could take a shower, then
I'd shut it off to conserve gas. We couldn't get gas anywhere.
Fortunately I had filled about six, five gallon gas containers and using
the little Honda for the refrig, a couple of lights and the Direct TV
receiver and TV, I had enough gas to share with neighbors.